A powerful magnitude 8.0 earthquake off the Solomon Islands generated a tsunami of up to 5 feet that killed at least 5 people, a hospital official says, while the death toll is feared to rise as officials inspect dozens of damaged homes.

Authorities on Wednesday canceled warnings for tsunamis on more distant coasts.

Solomons officials reported two 1.5-meter (4 foot, 11 inch) waves hit the western side of Santa Cruz Island, damaging between 70 and 80 homes and properties, said George Herming, a spokesman for the prime minister. Many villagers of the South Pacific island chain had headed to higher ground as a precaution, Herming said.

Four villages on Santa Cruz were impacted by the waves, with two facing severe damage, Lansley said. Other areas of the Solomons did not appear to have been seriously affected.

Disaster officials were struggling to reach the remote area after the tsunami flooded the airstrip at the nearest airport and left it littered with debris.

The Solomons comprise more than 200 islands with a population of about 552,000 people. They lie on the "Ring of Fire" -- an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones that stretches around the Pacific Rim and where about 90 percent of the world's quakes occur.

Nuclear warhead, der. Just kidding.But yeah, you'd think there'd be ways to do it though, using explosives of some sort.Oh, but then the environmentalists would whine about it, saying that'd kill sea life.Couldn't have that, but it'd be fine to let the tsunami just kill millions of people.

Nuclear warhead, der. Just kidding.But yeah, you'd think there'd be ways to do it though, using explosives of some sort.Oh, but then the environmentalists would whine about it, saying that'd kill sea life.Couldn't have that, but it'd be fine to let the tsunami just kill millions of people.

the only thing i can think of that could slow/break a large wave would be land increasing in height against the oncoming wave to slow down the impact....if you create a 'counter' wave, you'll essentially create another tsunami going in the opposite direction once it goes through the water... just try it in a bathtub with your hands.

Can't you just create a countertsunami to cancel out the incoming wave?

Wouldnt work, wave mechanics and all.A wave moving in the opposite direction with equal and opposite amplitude would only cancel out the tsunami at the point where they met, flattening out the wave, but all the energy of both waves would continue in the original directions, the waves would simply continue on their merry ways. Now you have 2 Tsunamis striking at opposing directions...oops?